Twenty-One Years of the ACS

Oxford AGM as against an average attendance ofabout50for the occasion and it is mostly the same people every year. Such turn-outs are disappointing bearing in mind that some 900 members live in Britain. The same stricture applies to theLondon meeting,where about30at best turn up each autumn,few of them from the capital itself. In the early years two other regional meetings were tried. Chris Clynes arranged what is remembered as a felicitous gathering at Salisbury in 1978;and Tony Woodhouse organised a get-together at Elsecar, near Barnsley,in 1979 when bad weather kept people away. Clynes canvassed support among members in the region beforehand by letter and 35 people said they would come.On the night only three did so but thankfully another 40 or so made long journeys and arrived unannounced. As a generalisation it would seem that members enjoy the publications but have little interest in meeting colleagues.The 1987AGM was also notable for a balanced and thoughtful talk by Graeme Wright, who having succeeded John Woodcock, outlined his approach to the editorship of Wisden. It also saw the first presentation of the ACS Statistician of the Year trophy, which went to George Russ,an expert on Surrey statistics and a former scorer for the county.Russ had recently died and was posthumously proposed for the award by Surrey CCC,an agreeable gesture by one of the few county clubs to hold ACS membership. The trophy was received by his daughter, Mrs June Jones. Since then the award winners have been recommended to the committee by the ACS president, who enlists two non-committee members to serve with him on an awards sub-committee. The award is aimed at acknowledging outstanding work forspecific projects or over alengthy period and with so many deserving candidates,the sub-committee has an invidious task.Rather than burden them with firm guidelines,the committee allow them a free hand,though it has been agreed not to give the award to the same person more than once. In principle the sub-committee also attempt to strike a balance between obvious candidates and those who might riot occur to everyone.No-onecould demur at the choiceofPhilip Bailey in 1988and Robert Brookein 1990and in between came Andrew Hignellfor his work on more than one aspect of Glamorgan cricket. Richard Lockwood's role as the TCCB's first official statistician brought him the award in 1991, his choice also recognising the arrival ofcomputers on the cricket statistical scene. Les Hatton earned his 1992award for his consistently fine efforts for the ACSand the Sunday League for more than twenty years. C.J. *Kit' Bartlett's flair for inter-weaving past events and statistics in umpteen articles and lists overan even longerspan made him an appropriate winner in 1993, the year that the word 'Historians' was added to the ACS name.Whether the award should change direction in any way is open to question. Brian Heald, a founder member, would prefer a Roll of Distinguished Statisticians to beinstigated,something akin to the Halls ofFame favoured in American sport.Now that the ACS has its own headquarters,Heald believes it would be right for the Roll to be displayed there. It could be written 36